Adaptive placement of weather sensors in response to dynamic local conditions

ABSTRACT

One example of a computer-implemented method for adaptively placing weather sensors in response to dynamic local conditions includes obtaining a set of data indicating a dynamic local condition in a geographic location of interest and adaptively modifying a placement of a plurality of weather sensors in the geographic location of interest in response to the dynamic local condition.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to the field of numerical weatherprediction, and relates more specifically to atmospheric dataassimilation.

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses mathematical models of theatmosphere and oceans to predict the future weather based on currentweather conditions. One important component of NWP is atmospheric dataassimilation, which is a procedure that mathematically combines all ofthe available prior information (e.g., background, prediction models,observations, observation operators, error statistics, etc.) to obtain astate estimate (i.e., initial conditions and boundary conditions).

Some of this prior information is obtained from various types ofsensors, such as surface weather stations and rain gauges, which areplaced throughout a geographic area, in fixed locations. The greater thenumber of sensors that are placed in a given geographic area, the finerthe resolution of the state estimate.

SUMMARY

A computer-implemented method for adaptively placing weather sensors inresponse to dynamic local conditions includes obtaining a set of dataindicating a dynamic local condition in a geographic location ofinterest and adaptively modifying a placement of a plurality of weathersensors in the geographic location of interest in response to thedynamic local condition.

One example of a machine-readable storage medium encoded withinstructions executable by a processor includes instructions foradaptively placing weather sensors in response to dynamic localconditions. The instructions more specifically include instructions toretrieve a set of data indicating a dynamic local condition in ageographic location of interest and instructions to adaptively modify aplacement of a plurality of weather sensors in the geographic locationof interest in response to the dynamic local condition.

One example of system for adaptively placing weather sensors in responseto dynamic local conditions includes a processor for generating amodified placement of a plurality of weather sensors in a geographiclocation of interest, in response to a set of data indicating a dynamiclocal condition in a geographic location of interest and a set ofplacement models accessible by the processor, the set of placementmodels comprising at least one weighting model that assigns a weight toeach different type of data in the set of data to generate a set ofweights, and wherein the set of weights is associated with a recommendedplacement of the plurality of weather sensors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The teachings of the present disclosure can be readily understood byconsidering the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of one example of a system foradaptively placing weather sensors in response to dynamic localconditions;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a high levelcomputer-implemented method for adaptively placing weather sensors inresponse to dynamic local conditions;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a more detailedcomputer-implemented method for adaptively placing weather sensors inresponse to dynamic local conditions; and

FIG. 4 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer that can betransformed into a machine capable of performing the functions describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one example, the present disclosure is related to acomputer-implemented method, non-transitory computer readable medium,and apparatus for adaptively placing weather sensors in response todynamic local conditions, i.e., conditions that are temporary or subjectto change. The resolution of a state estimate obtained via atmosphericdata assimilation techniques is closely tied to the number of sensorsthat are placed throughout a given geographic area and to their spatialcoverage. For instance, the greater the number of sensors, the finer theresolution. However, for large geographic areas such as largemetropolitan cities, it may not be feasible (due to occupancy fees andmaintenance and operation costs) to place more sensors, which aretypically fixed in location, on a permanent basis.

One example of the present disclosure determines how to efficiently andadaptively place portable sensors within a geographic location ofinterest in order to obtain the best possible data for atmospheric dataassimilation. Embodiments of the disclosure consider dynamic localconditions such as social, business, temporal, and/or ephemeral eventsor factors in order to adaptively reconfigure or modify a placement ofsensors in the geographic location of interest. For example, if aspecial event is likely to draw a large number of attendees, the localauthorities may wish to improve the resolution of short-term weatherforecasts related to the location of the event. In this case, the numberof sensors placed in and around the location of the event may betemporarily increased by relocating one or more portable sensors for alimited period of time.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of one example of a system 100 foradaptively placing weather sensors in response to dynamic localconditions. As illustrated, the system 100 generally comprises aplacement system 102 in communication (e.g., over one or more networks)with a plurality of data sources 104 ₁-104 _(n) (hereinaftercollectively referred to as “data sources 104”) and a plurality ofsensors 106 ₁-106 _(n) (hereinafter collectively referred to as “sensors106”).

The placement system 102 subscribes to the outputs of the data sources104. The data sources 104 include sources of data that is relevant to ageographic area, and in a further embodiment include sources of dataabout dynamic conditions in the geographic area (e.g., social, business,temporal, and/or ephemeral factors). In one embodiment, the dataprovided by the data sources 104 includes one or more of the followingtypes of data: meteorological data (e.g., previous weather forecasts,meteorological changes, large-scale weather models), event data (e.g.,special events taking place in the geographic area, such as concerts,parades, or sporting events), demographic data (e.g., number ofresidents of or visitors to the geographic area), incident data(real-time and/or historical data relating to short-term dynamics suchas rush hours, traffic accidents, etc.), agricultural data (e.g.,seeding, harvesting, and/or cropping information), infrastructure data(e.g., location of infrastructure, severity or impact of eventsaffecting infrastructure, etc.), and geodatabase data (e.g., geographicdatasets such as maps, geographic coordinates, etc.). The data sources104 may include public and/or private databases, social networks,weather sensors, or other sources of data. Data from the data sources104 may be encrypted to address privacy concerns.

In addition, the placement system 102 may subscribe to the outputs ofthe sensors 106 (e.g., for real-time meteorological data). The sensors106 comprise a plurality of weather sensors. In one embodiment, thesensors 106 include one or more of the following: weather stations, raingauges, anemometers, humidity sensors, and temperature sensors. In oneembodiment, at least one of the sensors 106 is portable, i.e., is notfixed relative to a single geographic location, and thus may be movedfrom one geographic location to another. For instance, a portableweather sensor may be mounted to an automobile, an unmanned vehicle, orother mobile support.

The placement system 102 generally comprises a placement processor 108and a set of placement models 110. The placement processor 108comprises, for example, a processing unit or computing device thatreceives the inputs from the data sources 104 and the sensors 106 andprocesses these inputs in accordance with one or more models in the setof placement models 110 to generate a placement scheme for the sensors106.

The set of placement models 110 includes one or more models thatgenerate recommended sensor placements (e.g., number and/or formation ofsensors) for specific geographic locations based on dynamic localconditions in the specific geographic locations. For instance, themodels may include weighting models that weight one or more factorsrelevant to a particular combination of dynamic local condition (e.g.,concert, sporting event, car accident) and geographic location (e.g.,Rio de Janeiro, Maracanã) in order to determine an optimal number of andformation of sensors to be placed in the geographic location.

The weighting model may, for example, assign weights to a variety ofevent-and/or location-related factors, including whether an event isconsidered to be permanent or temporary, estimated population density(e.g., attendance or human presence), estimated traffic weight (e.g.,traffic generated as a result of the event), previous weather forecastsfor the location of the event, and/or disaster susceptibility of thelocation of the event (e.g., frequency of natural disasters). Theweights assigned to particular factors may comprise numerical ratings ona scale (e.g., from zero to ten, where zero is the lowest rating and tenis the highest rating), and the ratings of all of the factors may beconsidered in generating a recommended sensor placement for the locationduring and/or around the time of the event. The sensor placement mayinclude a recommended number of sensors to be deployed and/or arecommended formation in which the sensors are to be arranged. Table 1,for example, illustrates an example weighting model that generatesrecommended sensor placements for a plurality of different types ofevents and different sets of associated weights.

TABLE 1 Example Weighting Model Pop. Traffic Prior Disaster Event EventPerm./ Density Weight Forecast Suscept. Recc. Type Location Temp? (0-10)(0-10) (0-10) (0-10) Placement Concert Maracanã T 9 6 4 5 9 sensors,square Soccer Engenhão T 9 9 9 6 25 sensors, Match star Strike Praça daT 10  10  2 7 25 sensors, Bandeira square Landslide Maciço P 8 3 5 9 49sensors, da Tijuca square Landslide Maciço P 8 3 9 9 100 da Tijucasensors, square Flood Recreio P 5 4 4 5 17 sensors, star Car Túnel T 910  4 2 16 sensors, Accident Rebouças square

It should be noted that the weighting model illustrated in Table 1 isonly an example. Any weighting model used to balance different factorsinvolved in determining a recommended placement of weather sensors mayconsider more or fewer factors than what is shown. For instance, someweighting models may not account for one or more of the factors listedin Table 1. In addition, some weighting models may account for factorsthat are not listed in Table 1.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the placement system 102 outputs one or moresignals containing instructions for implementing the recommended sensorplacement. The instructions may include, for example, identifications ofspecific sensors or types of sensors, specific geographic coordinates atwhich the sensors are to be deployed, and/or the durations of thedeployments. In one example, the placement processor 102 sends thesesignals (e.g., over one or more networks) directly to the sensors 106 tobe deployed. In another example, the placement processor 102 sends thesesignals to one or more human operators who are responsible for placingthe sensors 106.

Alternative configurations of the system 100 are possible. For instance,in one example, the placement models 110 may be accessed remotely (e.g.,over one of more networks) by the placement processor 108.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a high levelcomputer-implemented method 200 for adaptively placing weather sensorsin response to dynamic local conditions. The method 200 may be carriedout, for example, by various components of the placement system 102illustrated in FIG. 1 and described in detail above, or by a generalpurpose computer that is programmed to function as special purposecomputer, as discussed below in connection with FIG. 4. As an example,the method 200 is described as being performed by components of theplacement system 102.

The method 200 begins in step 202. In step 204, the placement system 102obtains a set of data indicating a dynamic local condition in ageographic location of interest. The set of data be may obtained, forexample, from the data sources 104. In one embodiment, the placementsystem 102 continuously listens to or monitors the data sources 104 forupdates. The set of data may include, for example, data about social,temporal, and/or ephemeral factors or events related to the geographiclocation of interest. In one embodiment, the set of data includes one ormore of the following types of data: meteorological data (e.g., previousweather forecasts, meteorological changes, large-scale weather models),event data (e.g., special events taking place in the geographic area,such as concerts, parades, or sporting events), demographic data (e.g.,of residents of or visitors to the geographic area), incident data(real-time and/or historical data relating to short-term dynamics suchas rush hours, traffic accidents, etc.), agricultural data (e.g.,seeding, harvesting, and/or cropping information), infrastructure data(e.g., location of infrastructure, severity or impact of eventsaffecting infrastructure, etc.), and geodatabase data (e.g., geographicdatasets such as maps, geographic coordinates, etc.). In one embodiment,the set of data is transmitted from the data sources 104 to theplacement system 102 via a network (e.g., pushed to or pulled by theplacement system 102). The set of data may be transmitted periodically(e.g., every x seconds), on-demand (e.g., in response to a request fromthe placement system 102), or automatically (e.g., as the data becomesavailable).

In step 206, the placement processor 108 adaptively modifies a placementof a plurality of weather sensors in the geographic location ofinterest, in response to the dynamic local condition. The modifiedplacement may include a specific formation or arrangement of the weathersensors (e.g., square pattern, star pattern, etc.) as well as anincrease or decrease in the number of weather sensors to be deployed.

The method 200 then returns to step 204 and awaits the receipt of a newset of data.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a more detailedcomputer-implemented method 300 for adaptively placing weather sensorsin response to dynamic local conditions. The method 300 may be carriedout, for example, by various components of the placement system 102illustrated in FIG. 1 and described in detail above, or by a generalpurpose computer that is programmed to function as special purposecomputer, as discussed below in connection with FIG. 4. As an example,the method 300 is described as being performed by components of theplacement system 102.

The method 300 begins in step 302. In step 304, the placement system 102receives a plurality of inputs from the data sources 104. In oneembodiment, the placement system 102 continuously listens to or monitorsthe data sources 104 for updates. The plurality of inputs may include,for example, data about dynamic conditions in a given geographic area(e.g., social, temporal, and/or ephemeral factors). In one embodiment,the data provided by the data sources 104 includes one or more of thefollowing types of data: meteorological data (e.g., previous weatherforecasts, meteorological changes, large-scale weather models), eventdata (e.g., special events taking place in the geographic area, such asconcerts, parades, or sporting events), demographic data (e.g., ofresidents of or visitors to the geographic area), incident data(real-time and/or historical data relating to short-term dynamics suchas rush hours, traffic accidents, etc.), agricultural data (e.g.,seeding, harvesting, and/or cropping information), infrastructure data(e.g., location of infrastructure, severity or impact of eventsaffecting infrastructure, etc.), and geodatabase data (e.g., geographicdatasets such as maps, geographic coordinates, etc.). In one embodiment,the data is transmitted from the data sources 104 to the placementsystem 102 via a network (e.g., pushed to or pulled by the placementsystem 102). The data may be transmitted periodically (e.g., every xseconds), on-demand (e.g., in response to a request from the placementsystem 102), or automatically (e.g., as the data becomes available).

In step 306, the placement processor 108 evaluates the data inaccordance with one or more of the placement models 110. In oneembodiment, evaluating of the data in step 306 may involve inputtingsome of the data into the placement models, e.g., into differentweighted fields of a weighting model. For instance, using the exampleweighting model illustrated in Table 1, inputting the data may involveinputting an event type, whether the event is temporary or permanent,the population density of the location at which the event is occurring,the traffic weight of the location at which the event is occurring,previous weather forecasts for the location at which the event isoccurring, and/or the disaster susceptibility of the location at whichthe event is occurring.

Once the data has been evaluated in accordance with the one or more ofthe placement models 110, the method 300 proceeds to step 308, where theplacement processor 102 dynamically generates a recommended placement ofsensors for a specific location. As discussed above, the recommendedplacement may include a specific formation or arrangement of the sensors(e.g., square pattern, star pattern, etc.) as well as the number ofsensors to be deployed. Using Table 1 as an example, a landslideoccurring in an area with a high population density like Maciço daTijuca would be prioritized relatively highly (e.g., in terms of numberof portable sensors deployed); the recommended placement in this casemight involve deploying one hundred sensors to Maciço da Tijuca in asquare formation. The temporary deployment of a greater number ofsensors would improve the quality and amount of information availablefor atmospheric data assimilation. This, in turn, would improve thequality of information provided to decision makers tasked withresponding to the situation (e.g., in the case of a landslide, does theevent warrant raising an alarm, evacuating people, initiating civildefense actions, etc.?).

In optional step 310 (illustrated in phantom), the placement system 102outputs an instruction directly to one or more of the sensors 106. Theinstruction specifies a location (e.g., geographic coordinates) to whicha sensor 106 is to be deployed and is based on the recommended placementgenerated in step 308.

In optional step 312 (illustrated in phantom), the placement system 102outputs an instruction to a human operator. The instruction identifiesone or more sensors 106 to be placed by the human operator, as well asthe location (e.g., geographic coordinates) to which each sensor is tobe deployed.

Once any necessary instructions have been sent to the sensors 106 and/orhuman operators, the method 300 returns to step 304 and awaits thereceipt of new data from the data sources 304.

Once the sensors 106 have been deployed in the recommended number andformation, they can communicate with a data assimilation and/or NWP toolto provide high-resolution data for improved weather forecasting. Theimproved weather forecasting, in turn, can improve the planning ofevents, business operations, disaster or emergency response operations,and other tasks.

Thus, the system 100 and methods 200 and 300 may operate in conjunctionto temporarily improve the quality of information available foratmospheric data assimilation for a particular location. In turn, thiswill improve the quality of short-term weather forecasts that may affectdynamic conditions in the particular location.

For instance, authorities in Rio de Janeiro may decide to improve theweather forecasts (e.g., increase the resolution of the forecasts) inthe city during and around the time of a concert. This may involvedeploying a number of extra weather sensors in the city in a particularpattern in order to provide additional data for atmospheric dataassimilation. Improved atmospheric data assimilation will yield improvedNWP results, and can also potentially yield improved short-rangeforecast information for concert attendees.

Alternatively, city authorities in Maracanã may wish to obtain improvedinformation on weather, rain, and/or other possible factors that mayimpact a scheduled sporting event. The improved information may help theauthorities to better manage traffic and support staffing.

As another example, embodiments of the present disclosure may bedeployed to improve business-centric operations, such as the maintenanceof power grid assets, the maintenance of an oil refinery, agriculturaloperations, etc.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems and methods according to various embodiments of the presentinvention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagramsmay represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, whichcomprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in thefigures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, beexecuted substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionalityinvolved.

Examples of the present disclosure may be a system, acomputer-implemented method, and/or a computer program product. Thecomputer program product may include a computer readable storage medium(or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon forcausing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

FIG. 4, for example, depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer400 that can be transformed into a machine capable of performing thefunctions described herein. The computer 400 may comprise, for example,part of the placement system 102 discussed above in connection withFIG. 1. Notably, no computer or machine currently exists that performsthe functions as described herein. As a result, the examples of thepresent disclosure improve the operation and functioning of thegeneral-purpose computer to adaptively placing weather sensors inresponse to dynamic local conditions, as disclosed herein.

As depicted in FIG. 4, the computer or system 400 comprises a hardwareprocessor element 402 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), amicroprocessor, or a multi-core processor), a memory 404, e.g., randomaccess memory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM), a module 405 foradaptively placing weather sensors in response to dynamic localconditions, and various input/output devices 406 (e.g., storage devices,including but not limited to, a tape drive, a floppy drive, a hard diskdrive or a compact disk drive, a receiver, a transmitter, a speaker, adisplay, a speech synthesizer, an output port, an input port and a userinput device (such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a microphone andthe like)). Although only one processor element is shown, it should benoted that the general-purpose computer may employ a plurality ofprocessor elements. Furthermore, although only one general-purposecomputer is shown in the figure, if the method(s) as discussed above isimplemented in a distributed manner for a particular illustrativeexample, i.e., the steps of the above method(s) or the entire method(s)are implemented across multiple general-purpose computers, then thegeneral-purpose computer of this figure is intended to represent each ofthose multiple general-purpose computers.

It should be noted that the present disclosure can be implemented insoftware and/or in a combination of software and hardware, e.g., usingapplication specific integrated circuits (ASIC), a general purposecomputer or any other hardware equivalents, e.g., computer readableinstructions pertaining to the respective systems and/or methodsdiscussed above can be used to configure a hardware processor to performthe steps functions and/or operations of the above disclosed systems andmethods. In one embodiment, instructions and data for the present moduleor process 405 for adaptively placing weather sensors in response todynamic local conditions (e.g., a software program comprisingcomputer-executable instructions) can be loaded into memory 304 andexecuted by hardware processor element 402 to implement the steps,functions or operations as discussed above in connection with theexemplary system 100 and/or methods 200 and 300. The processor executingthe computer readable or software instructions relating to the abovedescribed method(s) can be perceived as a programmed processor or aspecialized processor. As such, the present module 405 for adaptivelyplacing weather sensors in response to dynamic local conditions(including associated data structures) of the present disclosure can bestored on a tangible or physical (broadly non-transitory)computer-readable storage device or medium, e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, ROM memory, RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive,device or diskette and the like. More specifically, thecomputer-readable storage device may comprise any physical devices thatprovide the ability to store information such as data and/orinstructions to be accessed by a processor or a computing device such asa computer or an application server. In addition, it should be notedthat the hardware processor can be configured or programmed to causeother devices to perform one or more operations as discussed above. Inother words, the hardware processor may serve the function of a centralcontroller directing other devices to perform the one or more operationsas discussed above.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment shouldnot be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, butshould be defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:obtaining a set of data indicating a dynamic local condition in ageographic location of interest; and adaptively changing a formation inwhich a plurality of hardware weather sensors is arranged in thegeographic location of interest in response to the dynamic localcondition to improve a resolution of a short-term weather forecast fromthe geographic location of interest.
 2. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the dynamic local condition comprises a social,temporal, or ephemeral event.
 3. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 2, wherein the social, temporal, or ephemeral event is a concert.4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the social,temporal, or ephemeral event is a sporting event.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the social, temporal, orephemeral event is an emergency event.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the changing the formation comprises:evaluating the set of data in accordance with a placement model thatgenerates a recommended formation of the plurality of hardware weathersensors based on a combination of the dynamic local condition and thegeographic location of interest.
 7. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 6, wherein the placement model comprises a weighting model thatassigns a weight to each different type of data in the set of data togenerate a set of weights, and wherein the set of weights is associatedwith the recommended formation.
 8. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 6, wherein the set of data includes meteorological data for thegeographic location of interest.
 9. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 6, wherein the set of data includes event data for the geographiclocation of interest.
 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6,wherein the set of data includes incident data for the geographiclocation of interest.
 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 6,wherein the set of data includes agricultural data for the geographiclocation of interest.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 6,wherein the set of data includes infrastructure data for the geographiclocation of interest.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 6,wherein the set of data includes geodatabase data for the geographiclocation of interest.
 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising: adaptively changing a number of the plurality ofhardware weather sensors that is included in the formation.
 15. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the adaptively changingthe formation comprises: sending an instruction to at least one sensorof the plurality of hardware weather sensors specifying a location towhich the at least one sensor is to be deployed.
 16. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the adaptively changingthe formation comprises: sending an instruction to a human operatorspecifying a location to which a sensor of the plurality of hardwaresensors is to be deployed.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the formation of the plurality of hardware weather sensors ischanged by relocating a portable weather sensor into the geographiclocation of interest.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the formation of the plurality of hardware weather sensors ischanged by relocating a portable weather sensor out of the geographiclocation of interest.
 19. A machine-readable storage medium encoded withinstructions executable by a processor, the machine-readable storagemedium comprising: instructions to retrieve a set of data indicating adynamic local condition in a geographic location of interest; andinstructions to adaptively change a formation in which a plurality ofhardware weather sensors is arranged in the geographic location ofinterest in response to the dynamic local condition to improve aresolution of a short-term weather forecast from the geographic locationof interest.
 20. A system, comprising: a processor for determining achange in a formation of a plurality of hardware weather sensors to beplaced within a geographic location of interest, in response to a set ofdata indicating a dynamic local condition in the geographic location ofinterest, to improve a resolution of a short-term weather forecast fromthe geographic location of interest; and a set of placement modelsaccessible by the processor, the set of placement models comprising atleast one weighting model that assigns a weight to each different typeof data in the set of data to generate a set of weights, and wherein theset of weights is associated with a recommended formation of theplurality of hardware weather sensors.